This Morningside Garden, in Johannesburg proved to be quite a challenge. This brief was to create an outside entertainment area with a swimming pool and minimum maintenance within the small space in this Morningside townhouse complex where access was limited.

The sense of space was enhanced by us with the simplistic design and the use of a limited plant palette. In spite of the restrained palette, there is a variety of plant forms such as box hedges (Buxus Faulkner) and contrasting sphere Topiary Westringia that offered texture and depth.

In this small Morningside townhouse space, we could not really disguise the boundaries but instead made a feature of them with steel trellises and planted with sprawling Star Jasmine.

The ground is covered by wood decking to link the patio to the garden and the levels could be raised without using too much soil. This created more entertaining space on the sloped site. Paving and in situ pebbles added pattern to make a hard area look soft and interesting.

To suit the owner of this Morningside Townhouse lifestyle, we created a perfect example of integration between the indoors and outdoors, that resulted in a close connection of the home and it’s physical environment.